Jack Welch, former chair and CEO of General Electric, which used to own NBCUniversal, died at the age of 84 on Sunday.
According to his wife Suzy, Welch died of renal failure in his home in Massachusetts.
During his time at GE, Welch bought and sold numerous businesses. He founded GE Capital Bank and eventually bought RCA, owner of NBCUniversal at the time.
“Today is a sad day for the entire GE family. Jack was larger than life and the heart of GE for half a century,” said GE chairman and CEO Larry Culp. “He reshaped the face of our company and the business world. Jack was a strong and constant influence throughout my career despite never having worked directly for him.”
John Francis Welch Jr. was born Nov. 19, 1935 in Peabody, Mass. He joined GE in 1960 after completing his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He retired from GE in September 2001. He also helped create CNBC in 1989.
